2017 FloXC CountdownSep 8, 2017 by Dennis Young
2017 FloXC Countdown: #7 Haverford Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #7 Haverford Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #7 Haverford Men
Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top ten cross country teams and individuals in the NCAA this season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 7 men's spot goes to Haverford, and here's why:
SR Henry Woods (No. 10 FloTrack; 14:26 5K; 22nd at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Ryan Herlihy (14:57 5K; 32:16 10K; 97th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Greg Morgan (14:58 5K; 184th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Dylan Gearinger (14:33 5K; 31:53 10K; 194th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Graham Peet (9:19 3K SC; 14:59 5K; 214th at '16 NCAA XC; 140th at '15 NCAA XC)
Haverford's junior-heavy squad has developed quickly. The Centennial Conference lets teams enter 12 runners into the varsity race at the conference meet; less than two years ago, Dylan Gearinger, Ryan Herlihy, and Greg Morgan couldn't even crack Haverford's top 12 and ran the JV race at conferences. (They were second, seventh, and ninth overall.)
That's the type of improvement that has fueled Tom Donnelly's teams for the last 42 years. As Donnelly puts it, "If I were another guy on the team, I would look at that and say, 'They just committed themselves to the program.' And other guys pick up on that, and as a result, you have others develop who might not have developed."
After a decade straight of top-10 finishes from 2004 to 2013 -- including a national title in 2010 and second-place finishes in 2007, 2011, and 2012 -- Haverford has been 14th, 12th, and 18th the last three years -- the latter their worst national finish in 15 years. But they're primed to return to the top 10 and maybe even the top five this year.
Henry Woods, the only senior who projects to figure in the scoring, is No. 10 in our individual rankings, putting the Goats in a position to basically score four. And those four are strong. Though Gearinger was just 194th last fall, he ran 14:33 on the track, making him a top-15 returner in the 5K. He should be in the top 50. And Herlihy is the No. 50 returner, meaning that Haverford could have one low stick and two fringe All-Americans. That's a podium-quality top three.
Add two sub-15 5K runners to one of the best leading trios in the country, and this is a podium team on a good day, and a top-10 team on nearly any day. The only question is if this squad has a ceiling. Says Donnelly, "Sometimes there's a team chemistry that puts you at a different level, and all these guys have talked about this -- they think it's a team that can do something. And I think they're right."
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE
Probable Top Five:
SR Henry Woods (No. 10 FloTrack; 14:26 5K; 22nd at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Ryan Herlihy (14:57 5K; 32:16 10K; 97th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Greg Morgan (14:58 5K; 184th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Dylan Gearinger (14:33 5K; 31:53 10K; 194th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Graham Peet (9:19 3K SC; 14:59 5K; 214th at '16 NCAA XC; 140th at '15 NCAA XC)
Analysis:
Haverford's junior-heavy squad has developed quickly. The Centennial Conference lets teams enter 12 runners into the varsity race at the conference meet; less than two years ago, Dylan Gearinger, Ryan Herlihy, and Greg Morgan couldn't even crack Haverford's top 12 and ran the JV race at conferences. (They were second, seventh, and ninth overall.)
That's the type of improvement that has fueled Tom Donnelly's teams for the last 42 years. As Donnelly puts it, "If I were another guy on the team, I would look at that and say, 'They just committed themselves to the program.' And other guys pick up on that, and as a result, you have others develop who might not have developed."
After a decade straight of top-10 finishes from 2004 to 2013 -- including a national title in 2010 and second-place finishes in 2007, 2011, and 2012 -- Haverford has been 14th, 12th, and 18th the last three years -- the latter their worst national finish in 15 years. But they're primed to return to the top 10 and maybe even the top five this year.
Henry Woods, the only senior who projects to figure in the scoring, is No. 10 in our individual rankings, putting the Goats in a position to basically score four. And those four are strong. Though Gearinger was just 194th last fall, he ran 14:33 on the track, making him a top-15 returner in the 5K. He should be in the top 50. And Herlihy is the No. 50 returner, meaning that Haverford could have one low stick and two fringe All-Americans. That's a podium-quality top three.
Add two sub-15 5K runners to one of the best leading trios in the country, and this is a podium team on a good day, and a top-10 team on nearly any day. The only question is if this squad has a ceiling. Says Donnelly, "Sometimes there's a team chemistry that puts you at a different level, and all these guys have talked about this -- they think it's a team that can do something. And I think they're right."
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE